Alaska Air Forwarding
Alaska Air Forwarding is a privately held, Seattle-based air freight forwarder founded in 1965 that ships time-sensitive cargo to and from Alaska for commercial fishing, construction, entertainment, government, and manufacturing clients, specializing in heavy-lift freight and remote bush-community delivery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1965
- HeadquartersTukwila, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Alaska Air Forwarding does
Alaska Air Forwarding is a privately held air freight forwarder founded in 1965 (originally as a buying service for Alaska fishermen by Wayne Hendricks, later renamed Arctic Air Freight in 1969 and Alaska Air Forwarding in 1988 under Bill Ferrari and partner). The company operates from Tukwila, WA with offices in Anchorage and Dutch Harbor, and provides door-to-door shipping services to and from Alaska via a 500-agent partner network plus its own fleet of transportation.
The service mix includes air freight forwarding, heavy lift cargo (5,000-10,000+ lbs with no weight restrictions), remote Alaska delivery to bush communities such as Little Diomede, Kwigillingok, Chignik, and Dutch Harbor, and Haz-Mat handling supported by an on-staff professional. Tiered service levels span Next Flight same-day, Priority overnight, Standard 2-3 days, Economy 3-5 days, Hot Shot Regional, and Charter aircraft options, with intermodal combinations through the Freight Management Services division and international forwarding routed through sister company World Cargo International Services. Specialty verticals include commercial fishing (the original and primary segment), construction & engineering, entertainment & production, government (DOD and GSA approved, SCAC AKAW, Syncada-enabled), and just-in-time manufacturing/inventory shipments.
Revenue is generated on a quote-based transaction-fee model with pay-as-you-go billing across tiers and special tariff rates for ongoing shippers. Customer acquisition is sales-led via a 24/7 live phone line (800-426-0004), website quote forms, and inbound inquiries; insurance is coordinated through Fireman's Fund. The company has not raised institutional capital, employs 11-50 people, remains founder/operator-controlled (now under Bill Ferrari's sons since 2022), and reports no public revenue or profitability data.
Alaska Air Forwarding firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Alaska Air Forwarding
- Legal name
- Alaska Air Forwarding, Inc.
- Website
- https://alaskaaircargo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1965
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Alaska Air Forwarding is a privately held, Seattle-based air freight forwarder founded in 1965 that ships time-sensitive cargo to and from Alaska for commercial fishing, construction, entertainment, government, and manufacturing clients, specializing in heavy-lift freight and remote bush-community delivery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Alaska Air Forwarding industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Freight Forwarding Services
- NAICS
- Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (481212), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812)
- SIC
- Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Oversized / Out-of-Gauge & Heavy-Lift Air Freight (Aircraft Constraints, Special Handling) (TLACAAAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Charter Air Freight Forwarding (Full/Part Charter, ACMI Brokerage) (TLACAAAC), Time-Critical & AOG (Aircraft on Ground) Specialized Forwarding (TLACAJAI), Air–Road Intermodal Forwarding (TLACAEAE)
Keywords
Where Alaska Air Forwarding is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tukwila
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Alaska Air Forwarding business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Air Freight Forwarding Services: Primary revenue stream from air freight forwarding services shipping cargo to and from Alaska, including heavy lift cargo, remote Alaska shipping, and international freight through sister company World Cargo International.
- Service Tiers: Multiple service levels including Priority (overnight), Standard (2-3 days), Economy (3-5 days), Next Flight (same day/next morning), Charter, Hot Shot Regional, and Intermodal services generating revenue through differentiated pricing.
- Additional Services: Revenue from packing & crating, shipment consolidation, hazardous materials handling, insurance coordination (through Fireman's Fund), and nationwide/worldwide purchase order procurement services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Priority - Overnight shipment service |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard - Dependable 2-3 day service |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Economy - Money-saving 3-5 day option |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Next Flight - Same day/next morning door-to-door |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Charter - Urgent shipments via charter aircraft |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Intermodal - Water and truck transport |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Alaska Air Forwarding product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Alaska Air Forwarding provides air freight forwarding services with specialization in heavy lift cargo and shipping to remote Alaska destinations. The company arranges domestic and international air cargo transport for commercial fishing, construction, entertainment, government, and manufacturing clients, operating from headquarters in Tukwila (Seattle), WA with additional offices in Anchorage and Dutch Harbor.
Product overview
Alaska Air Forwarding is a full-service air freight forwarder offering a comprehensive suite of shipping services to and from Alaska since 1965. The core product is Air Freight Forwarding Services, complemented by specialized modules including Heavy Lift Air Cargo (handling shipments with no weight restrictions), Remote Alaska Shipping (accessing areas like Little Diomede Island), International Freight Shipping via World Cargo International Services, and industry-specific services for Commercial Fishing, Construction & Engineering, and Entertainment & Production sectors. Additional offerings include Government Approved Freight Shipping, tiered Service Levels (Priority, Standard, Economy, Next Flight, Charter), Intermodal Shipping, and Shipment Tracking. The company operates its own fleet with a network of 500 partner agents throughout the United States and globally, providing door-to-door service with 24/7 live customer support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Air Freight Forwarding
Quantifiable outcome
- Delivered 4,200 lb motors to Cordova, Alaska within 48 hours
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Alaska Air Forwarding
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Alaska Air Forwarding technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Alaska Air Forwarding partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- American Red CrossminorAlaska Air Forwarding assisted the Red Cross relief effort for Typhoon Halong flood victims by shipping cots to shelters for displaced people in Western Alaska.
- World Cargo Alliance (WCA)corePartnership with World Cargo Alliance - one of the largest freight forwarding networks globally. Alaska Air Forwarding displays the WCA logo prominently on their website indicating a core partnership providing access to the global freight forwarding network.
- World Cargo InternationalcoreSister company and international division of Alaska Air Forwarding. Handles worldwide shipping services including ocean and air export/import from Seattle to Singapore and all points between. Specializes in project cargo and oversize/out-of-gauge shipments.
- At Sea Processors AssociationminorIndustry association partnership supporting commercial fishing industry. Company originally founded in 1965 as a buying service for the fishing industry.
- Pacific Seafood Processors AssociationminorIndustry association partnership supporting seafood processing industry in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Alaska Air Forwarding competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Everts Air Cargo / Everts Air Alaska: Anchorage-based cargo airline serving Alaska with scheduled and charter lift, including heavy/oversized freight — a direct competitor for AAF's core air-freight book.
- Lynden Air Cargo: Alaska-based air cargo carrier and logistics provider serving remote communities, fishing, construction, and resource industries — directly comparable niche and customer base to Alaska Air Forwarding.
- Northern Air Cargo: Scheduled and charter air cargo operator specializing in Alaska and remote-area freight; overlaps with AAF on heavy-lift, charter, and remote-village deliveries.
Broad incumbents
- Expeditors International: Global air and ocean freight forwarder; relevant as a broad incumbent competitor for Alaska trade lanes and international cross-border freight moving through the same networks.
- FedEx Custom Critical / FedEx Trade Networks: FedEx's expedited surface/air and freight forwarding arms compete for time-sensitive and oversized shipments; broad incumbent in the freight arrangement space Alaska Air Forwarding also occupies.
- UPS Supply Chain Solutions (including UPS Air): Global integrator offering air freight forwarding and time-critical air services; competes for higher-volume, less-specialized Alaska-bound freight where customers trade off specialty for scale.
- Kuehne+Nagel: Top-tier global freight forwarder with strong airfreight and project-cargo capabilities; competes for international Alaska-related export/import and oversized project freight via sister company World Cargo International.
- Alaska Airlines Cargo: Largest scheduled belly-cargo capacity into Alaska via passenger flights; competes with AAF for general air freight but cannot serve heavy-lift or remote-village specialty the same way.
Emerging players
- Worldwide Express / Unishippers: Mid-market freight broker/3PL providing multi-modal services to SMBs; overlaps with AAF's small/medium shipper segment where customers may weigh tech-enabled quoting against AAF's human-service specialty.
Regional players
- Ravn Air Group / Grant Aviation Cargo: Regional bush carriers operating into remote Alaska communities — compete for last-mile remote freight and the same remote-village customer segments AAF serves.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Alaska Air Forwarding social profiles
Digital presenceAlaska Air Forwarding financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Alaska Air Forwarding leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Alaska Air Forwarding subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Alaska Air Forwarding funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Alaska Air Forwarding M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Alaska Air Forwarding
What does Alaska Air Forwarding do?
Alaska Air Forwarding provides air freight forwarding services with specialization in heavy lift cargo and shipping to remote Alaska destinations. The company arranges domestic and international air cargo transport for commercial fishing, construction, entertainment, government, and manufacturing clients, operating from headquarters in Tukwila (Seattle), WA with additional offices in Anchorage and Dutch Harbor.
Is Alaska Air Forwarding a public or private company?
Alaska Air Forwarding is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Alaska Air Forwarding founded?
Alaska Air Forwarding was founded in 1965. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Alaska Air Forwarding based?
Alaska Air Forwarding is headquartered in Tukwila, United States, in the North America region.
How does Alaska Air Forwarding make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Air Freight Forwarding Services are the primary driver. The others are service Tiers and additional Services.
Who are Alaska Air Forwarding's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Everts Air Cargo / Everts Air Alaska, Lynden Air Cargo and Northern Air Cargo. Broad incumbents are Expeditors International, FedEx Custom Critical / FedEx Trade Networks, UPS Supply Chain Solutions (including UPS Air), Kuehne+Nagel and Alaska Airlines Cargo. Worldwide Express / Unishippers is listed as an emerging player. Ravn Air Group / Grant Aviation Cargo is listed as a regional player.
Does Alaska Air Forwarding have an API?
No public API is recorded for Alaska Air Forwarding.
What industry is Alaska Air Forwarding in?
Alaska Air Forwarding's product category is Freight Forwarding Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLACAAAG, Oversized / Out-of-Gauge & Heavy-Lift Air Freight (Aircraft Constraints, Special Handling), with a secondary code of TLACAAAC, Charter Air Freight Forwarding (Full/Part Charter, ACMI Brokerage). Its NAICS code is 488510 and its SIC code is 4731.